People often need to place things inside their car's trunk, SUV's cargo area, pickup's bed, into loading docks or into buildings through a window or other opening. Most people perform the task of lifting the item into the cargo area without a second thought, resulting, in some cases, in back or other injuries. In some cases, because of the shape or weight of the object being lifted, additional human or technical assistance becomes necessary.
To date, there are several known devices designed to assist the loading and unloading of motor vehicle cargo. The most common of these devices are electrically-powered lift platforms, such as those traditionally used for wheelchairs, such as Butler, U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,858, Dehl, Pat. No. RE39,646, Hock, U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,491, and Tauer, Pat. No. RE29,175. Lift platforms are usually permanently installed and have the flexibility to be installed on a passenger car, sport utility vehicle, van or pickup truck. However, they tend to be prohibitively expensive and unsuitable for occasional use. Many have the additional disadvantage of storing the cargo on the outside of the vehicle, where it can be stolen.
The majority of other devices for loading and unloading vehicle cargo are suitable only for pickup trucks or cargo vans due to the height requirements of the devices. There are two common categories of loading devices limited to use in pickup trucks and cargo vans. The first is a tilting cargo bed, such as in Palmer, Jr. et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,775 and Copus, U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,082. The second category comprises a hoist or a boom. The cargo is generally loaded using a winch or hydraulics, which requires electrical power. Examples of loading devices using hoists or booms include Woods, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,549, James, U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,440, Duncan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,304, Rolfe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,942, and Lombard, U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,794.
Very few loading and unloading devices are compatible for ordinary passenger vehicles. One such device is Breaux's Ramp and Cargo System, U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,101, which is a ramp with an external storage deck. This device probably works best with cargo vans and pickup trucks, but may be servicable with sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and other vehicles that have a hatchback. However, the vehicle must have a trailer hitch for mounting the storage deck, and a large area must be available outside of the cargo door of the vehicle to allow for use of the ramp. It may be dangerous to use the ramp in the parking lot or other area in close proximity to moving vehicles.
Therefore, most devices are complicated, take up significant space within the vehicle, require a modification to the vehicle, and are permanently attached to the vehicle. Additionally, most devices are designed to lift hundreds to thousands of pounds. Moreover, most devices operate off of hydraulic, pneumatic, electric, or battery power, so an external power source is almost always required. In short, the existing devices are not user friendly, portable, readily affordable or appropriate for use in smaller passenger vehicles. Accordingly, these devices are primarily used in specific commercial applications.